Beaded T-shirt Headbands

As an avid recycler and sometimes crocheter I'm a wiz at making t-shirt yarn from old, stained, or stretched out t-shirts. Give me a pair or scissors and I'll reduce a stack of shirt to a ball of yarn and well, sleeves...lots and lots of leftover sleeves. Funny thing is though, sleeves are just about the perfect size for headbands.

Sometimes I simply cut off about two inches of sleeve, give it a tug, and that's it, instant headband. This time I decided instead of keeping the loop of the sleeve I'd cut them into strips of varying widths, slide on a handful of pony beads, and tie it off. It's another quick headband but with a little something extra.

The photo collage below pretty much says it all but I've also shared a quick step by step guide.

Step 1: Gather your old t-shirts and cut off the sleeves.

Step 2: Trim the sleeves into strips anywhere from half an inch to two inches wide. Be sure to snip the loop of the sleeve so that it is one long strip.

Step 3: String on pony beads, Obviously it will be harder to string them on the wider strips of t-shirt but the effect in the end is well worth the trouble.

Step 4: Center your beads-tie them in place if you need to, size your headband to fit, and there you have it!

Looking for more t-shirt headband ideas? Here's a knotted one we made a couple years ago and if you make lots of headbands you're going to need a holder.